Shadowland
"Shadowland" is the first episode of Ronin Warriors. It was originally broadcasted on syndicated television during the summer of 1995, and was eventually aired through reruns on the SciFi channel, as well as part of Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block. Summary Toyama is attacked by the forces of the Dynasty. The five Ronin Warriors are determined to stand against them in defense of the city, but they will only win if they can come together as a team. Synopsis Dark clouds form in the sky over the city of Toyama, casting a strange shadow that unleashes a dark cackle. Thunder and lightning fill the sky as, in a nearby university, Mia and her grandfather work over a computer in his office. It appears as though the old man's fears have been well founded: Talpa and the Dynasty have returned to the Mortal world. Meanwhile, Yuli is spending the day out with his parents. He struggles to pick out a new skateboard. His mother grows impatient, but his father wants him to take his time. Having found one he likes, Yuli takes off to test it out, much to his mother's dismay. Before he can get too far away, however, he is distracted by a terrified group of people and loses his balance, falling from the skateboard. A white tiger approaches him and greets Yuli with a lick as someone comments about his fall. Yuli is stunned, thinking the tiger can talk, but it turns out to be just a teenage boy. Yuli notices that the people seem to be terrified of the tiger and asks if he's real. The boy responds positively. Yuli's parents arrive, concerned for their son's safety, so the boy and his tiger leave. Mia is watching the news, though she is much more preoccupied about the end of the world. A special report draws her attention to the broadcast, which is now featuring a story on the presence of the boy and his tiger. She calls for her grandfather at once, who is instantly relieved. He tells her that the boy is one of the five Ronin Warriors. Mia offers to drive into the city and retrieve him. White Blaze senses a disturbance and roars in warning just as the dark clouds begin to billow in. The boy glances up at them, recognizing the danger as well. From her car, Mia sees that the clouds are only forming over Toyama. Her car breaks down just as she reaches the city. She notices that it's not just her car, but every car in the city, as well as the traffic lights. Knowing that she has to keep going, she borrows a police officer's bike. The dark cloud continues to cover the city, causing the engine of a helicopter to fail mid-flight and crash into one of the buildings. The boy tries to warn the citizens, but is too late as lightning strikes the city and building windows shatter. The people begin to panic. Yuli is separated from his parents in the chaos. The boy issues a challenge to the invading forces of the Dynasty. They oblige by sending a soldier to attack him. White Blaze warns the boy in time for him to dodge, but the blow makes contact with the back of his shirt, slicing through it. It reveals that the boy is wearing something red underneath his clothing. The boy sheds his civilian clothing, introducing himself as Ryo of the Wildfire. Ryo faces off against the Dynasty soldier, and manages to barely hold his own with White Blaze's help. Yuli stumbles onto the scene, lost and searching for his parents. He soon notices the face-off happening right in front of him and is frozen by the sight. As a result, he is nearly hit by an attack from the soldier, but is saved by Mia at the last second. The two of them watch as Ryo struggles against the soldier, who has gained the upperhand. Not even White Blaze can stand up to him anymore. The soldier goes in for the final attack, but it is blocked by another of the Ronin Warriors - Rowen of the Strata. He is soon joined by Kento of Hardrock, Cye of the Torrent, and Sage of the Halo. Mia is shocked to see all five of the Ronin Warriors in the city at the same time. Yuli asks her who they are, and she responds by telling him about the legend her grandfather passed down to her. The soldier isn't concerned, only satisfied that he can finish them all off at once. Though the four teenager boys attack together, their moves are not unified and so make about as much progress as Ryo did before them. Mia quickly realizes the problem as the Ronins begin to squabble amongst themselves. She calls out to them that they need to come together and work as a team. The soldier does not take kindly to the interruption and takes her and Yuli hostage. Kento attempts to save them, only to get attacked himself. Seeing no other option, the Ronins meets the soldier's challenge and don their Elemental Armors. Ryo is still hurt from the previous blows dealt by the soldier, but it does not stop him from launching another assault. The soldier, however, uses Mia and Yuli as a shield, forcing Ryo to hesitate and making it easier to fight the Ronin. The soldier proceeds to trap Mia and Yuli inside an overhead video screen. Now, every time the soldier takes a hit, the two civilians feel the same pain. Ryo sheathes his twin katanas, refusing to fight, much to the shock of the other four Ronins. The soldier takes full advantage of this, setting his weapon upon Ryo. Yuli encourages him to keep fighting, and Ryo realizes that he can't lose this battle. His armor starts radiating heat as Ryo unleashes his special attack, taking out the Dynasty soldier... and a good chunk of one of the buildings. Mia and Yuli are released from the video screen and are caught by White Blaze before they can hit the ground. The Ronins don't have a chance to relax, though, as the commanding generals of the Dynasty arrive to boast about their power. They introduce themselves as the four Dark Warlords - Anubis, Warlord of Cruelty, Kale, Warlord of Corruption, Sekhmet, Warlord of Venom, and Dais, Warlord of Illusion. With them comes Talpa, the ruler of the Nether Realm. The Dark Warlords depart into the dark clouds, and Mia tells the confused Yuli that the war against the Dynasty has begun. The Ronin Warriors get their first glimpse of Talpa's castle floating over the city of Toyama. Continuity *This is the first time that the Dynasty soldiers are referred to as "tin cans" and "bucket heads" by the Ronins. These terms will be used throughout the rest of the series. *Ryo uses his special ability for the first time: Flare Up Now. Title A shadowland is literally a place cast in shadow. The title references the city of Toyama under the assault of Talpa's evil Dynasty. Cast ::: Ryo of the Wildfire — Matt Hill Rowen of the Strata/Sekhmet — Ward Perry Cye of the Torrent / Sage of the Halo — Michael Donovan Kento of Hardrock — Jason Gray-Stanford Mia — Lalainia Lindbjerg Yuli — Christopher Turner Talpa — Mina E. Mina Anubis — Paul Dobson Kale / Dr. Koji — Richard Newman Dais / Dynasty Soldier — Matt Smith Narrator / Yuli's Father — David Kaye Yuli's Mother — Sara Anne Dafoe Category:Episodes Category:Ronin Warriors Quotes Mia: "Grandfather, this is -" Dr. Koji: "The Dynasty! Talpa's empire has revived. The world may very well end today." — Mia and her grandfather notice the strange occurrances. Ryo: "You really ate it there." Yuli: "Huh?! What?!" Ryo: "(laughs) You okay?" —''' Yuli''' panics thinking that he's hearing Ryo's voice coming from White Blaze. "This pedestrian's paradise in the city center is in near panic because of the appearance of a boy and his large white tiger. I'm pretty sure it's not Siegfried and Roy." — A news reporter comments on Ryo and White Blaze. "A Ronin Warrior. Oh, thank heaven. The world may yet be saved." — Dr. Koji is relieved to see Ryo in the city. "Listen! Listen to me, everyone, before it's too late!" — Ryo tries to warn the citizens of Toyama. "Hello there, bucket head. Finally decided to face me, huh? I'm Ryo of the Wildfire!" — Ryo introduces himself to his first Dynasty Soldier. "Aw, he's gettin' creamed!" — Yuli, watching Ryo being tossed around by the Dynasty Soldier. Rowen: "You were gonna introduce us to your friend, weren't you?" Ryo: "Huh?" Rowen: "I'm Rowen of the Armor Strata. This is my friend. Heads up." Dynasty Soldier: "Huh?" Kento: "Hey, buddy, you saving all the fun for yourself? Call me Kento of Hardrock. Justice is my reward." Cye: "Up here, bucket head!" Dynasty Soldier: "What?" Cye: "I'm Cye of the Torrent. Trust is my symbol." Sage: "Whoa, check out ugly! I'm Sage of the Halo. My power seeks Wisdom." — The other four Ronin Warriors arrive on the scene, much to their enemy's surprise. Mia: "All five Ronin Warriors here?" Yuli: "'Ronin?' Do you really know who those guys are?" Mia: "There is a legend that says when the Earth is covered by a wicked dark shadow, the Ronin Warriors will come to save it." — Mia explains the legend of the Ronin Warriors to Yuli. "I always thought the bigger they are, the harder they fall." — Sage struggles against the Dynasty Soldier. Ryo: "Let me handle this." Rowen: "Yeah, what do you got in mind, Ryo?" Sage: "You're beat. You can't take him." Cye: "Oh, like you can take him." Kento: "Huh? Are you reality impaired or what, dude?" — The Ronin Warriors bicker amongst themselves. "Listen to me! The Dynasty is not something you can defeat if you do not stand together and work as a team!" — Mia's first time offering the Ronins advice. "You know how it is when you have an annoying itch... you just have to scratch it!" — The Dynasty Soldier mocks the Ronins. Ryo: "And ''who ''are you''?"'' Anubis: "We, small boy, are the four Dark Warlords who serve the Emperor Talpa. I am their leader, Anubis, master of Cruelty." Kale: "I am Kale, Warlord of Corruption." Sekhmet: "I am Sekhmet, Warlord of Venom." Dais: "I am Dais, Warlord of Illusion." Talpa: "And I, Ronin, am Talpa. I am the ruler of the Nether Realms. Now is the time that my empire shall ascend." — Ryo and the others meet Talpa and his Dark Warlords. "It has begun. War against the Dynasty." — Mia continues to explain what's going on to Yuli. Cultural References *When Ryo and White Blaze cause an uproar in the city, the news reporter makes a comment about Siegfried and Roy. Sigfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn are two German-American entertainers famous for performing with white lions and tigers. Goofs Animation Mistakes *When Ryo asks Yuli if he got hurt, more than just White Blaze's nose is colored black. It actually extends up his fur to his eyes. It happens two more times, once when he warns Ryo about the presence of the Dynasty soldier and the third time after he attacks the soldier while defending Ryo. Dialogue Mistakes English Dub Mistakes Trivia *Sage mentions that Mia and Yuli felt the pain from Rowen's specialty move, Arrow Shockwave, despite the fact that Rowen never specifically uses this attack. See Also *Target: Metropolitan Tokyo